He was ready to play in the All-Ireland final
When news broke last year that Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper had suffered a very serious knee injury during Dr Crokes’s AIB-GAA All-Ireland semi final loss, there was widespread shock and disappointment. For GAA fans in Kerry it was almost like a death as a cruciate ligament tear and broken kneecap would rule the Kingdom forward out of action for the entire season.
Country wide GAA fans were aghast that one of the most talented players of all time would not be seen on a football field for an entire season. The Championship would be a darker place without Gooch’s brilliance. And the worry was would the Kerryman ever return to action scoring wonderful points and goals as he had done ever since his debut in 2002.
But today the Kerryman made an inspirational comeback for his county, a full 12 months after sustaining the horrendous injury that forced him to miss Kerry’s All-Ireland triumph last September. A new documentary from AIB reveals Cooper describing the moment he knew he was seriously injured,his treatment and how he braved the toughest road to recovery he has ever faced.
The documentary features his Kerry teammate Darran O’Sullivan as well as Radio Kerry’s legendary presenter Weeshe Fogarty. Cooper himself also explains how close he got to playing a role in Kerry’s All-Ireland success over Donegal.
It’s a fascinating watch and shows just how much work and effort was required to get the multiple All-Star back playing top level football again.
Welcome back ‘Gooch’
